CARACAS (Reuters) -A renowned Venezuelan activist was arrested for his alleged involvement in a reported assassination attempt against President Nicolas Maduro last month, the country’s Attorney General Tarek Saab said late on Monday.
Carlos Julio Rojas, a journalist, was arrested on Monday night in central Caracas “for being linked and directly identified as an instigator and logistical operator in the assassination attempt” against Maduro on March 25, the prosecutor said in a post on X.
In a state television broadcast later on Tuesday, Saab said Rojas will be charged with association, terrorism, conspiracy, instigation to commit a crime and attempted assassination.
On March 25 authorities reported the arrest of two men near to where Maduro gave a speech after registering as a candidate for this year’s presidential election.
Rojas’ arrest is the most recent in a string of detentions of activists and opposition politicians accused by authorities of being linked to conspiracies against Maduro’s government.
Rojas is known for campaigning against the government and for organizing peaceful demonstrations in capital Caracas to protest the lack of functioning utilities or to demand better pensions, among others.
(Reporting by Vivian Sequera; Writing by Brendan O’Boyle and Oliver Griffin; Editing by Richard Chang)
